By David Lillard
Imagine this. A couple of West Virginia high-school kids commit some pranks one weekend. Local officials decide to teach them a lesson, and file criminal charges. One of the kids, call him Ted, happens to be 18 years old, an adult. The case is heard by a circuit court judge who only recently [...]

By Davic Lillard
West Virginia was once a leading producer of maple syrup. Today, even though 80 percent of the Mountain State is covered with hardwoods—about 110,000 square miles of them—West Virginia barely registers in syrup production. Neal Super’s Mountain State Maple is starting a homegrown sugarin’ renaissance here in the relative flatlands of Jefferson County. [...]


—Shepherd Town, W.Va., December 29, 2020.
In a long an-ticipated move, the Shepherd Town Council approved a mea-sure to move its Town Hall to Omega House, a university fra-ternity house.Then they enjoyed a parade down German Street. The decision formalizes a decade-old merger de facto be-tween the Town of Shepherd, formerly known as Shepherds -town, and [...]

The countywide referendum to allow table games at Charles Town Races & Slots won easy approval. The measure was carried by a margin of 6279 to 4343,  winning in nearly every precinct. The results are unofficial until the official canvass to be held on December 11 at Charles Town Library Meeting Room at 9am.

by David Lillard
It’s a stunning autumn morning on the interstate. Blazing strands of orange cotton stretch across the skies above the Allegheny Front, moving eastward as the car blazes west toward Wheeling and a maiden voyage to Wheeling Island Casino.
License plates on big pickups zoom past my slowpoke four cylinders in a parade of the [...]

By David Lillard
 
With a countywide referendum scheduled for November 7 on whether to adopt a new “traditional” zoning ordinance, The Observer’s David Lillard spoke with Jefferson County director of planning and zoning, Jennifer Brockman and the county’s acting zoning administrator, Jennifer Snyder.
The Observer: This is referred to as a countywide referendum, but not everyone in [...]

By Thomas Harding
 
Unless you have been asleep, you surely know by now that Dan Brown has released his latest thriller, The Lost Symbol, which follows a professor as he chases a series of Masonic clues around the nation’s capital. The book had a print run of five million copies and has generated intense media interest [...]

TV begets bad diet, which in turn nurtures a nation of thugs. This is the thrust of an article on Wallet Pop, sent to The Observer by a reader

In a prime-time speech to a joint session of Congress, President Obama will outline several proposed reforms to the nation’s health insurance system. Among other things, “it will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing condition. As soon as I sign this bill, it will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick or water it down when you need it most.” The President also will endorse the idea of regional insurance exchanges that provide individuals and small businesses the same buying power as larger companies and governments.

Planning for the Worst Case Scenario
By David Lillard
A Friday morning in October, a beautiful sunny day. You’re driving down I-270 for an appointment, and you’re using the occasion to take a vacation day. On the way home, you’ll run a few errands, maybe check out that fly rod you’ve been coveting at the sporting goods [...]